Tuesday, December 17

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian army medics treat a injured Ukrainian soldier in an undisclosed location near the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, on Dec. 14, 2024. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)

‘It’s a tough one,’ Trump says following questions on how he plans to stop Russia’s war against Ukraine. President-elect Donald Trump confirmed he had not invited President Volodymyr Zelensky to his January inauguration but noted that Zelensky would be “welcome” if he chose to attend.

Russia sets 2025 goal to fully occupy 4 Ukrainian regions, Defense Minister says. Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said during a Defense Ministry meeting on Dec. 16 that Moscow aims to seize the entirety of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts in 2025.

Ukraine condemns Hungary’s ‘peacekeeping’ proposals, calls them manipulative. Hungary, which maintains close ties with Moscow despite Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, has consistently criticized EU sanctions against Russia and blocked initiatives to provide military aid to Kyiv.

Russia to mass-produce Oreshnik ballistic missiles, Putin claims. Large-scale production of Russia’s nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile is a goal for “the near future,” Putin alleged at a defense ministry board meeting on Dec. 16.

Russia trying to hide North Korean losses in Ukraine war, Zelensky claims. “Russia is not only involving North Korean soldiers in assaults on Ukrainian positions, but is also trying to hide the losses of these people,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 16.

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Russia must be ready for potential conflict with NATO ‘within 10 years,’ defense minister says. Russia should prepare for multiple scenarios, including a war with NATO, in the next 10 years, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said.

Ukraine possesses laser weapons, advanced drone technologies, commander says. Speaking on Dec. 16, Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi said Ukraine’s laser system, called Tryzub, can down aircraft at altitudes exceeding 2 kilometers.

Ukraine produces almost 100 new Peklo missile-drones, media reports. Almost 100 of Ukraine’s new Peklo missile-drone hybrids have been produced as the weapon entered serial production, Ukrainska Pravda reported on Dec. 16.

Ukraine charges Russian general over use of banned chemical weapons. According to the SBU’s investigation, chemical weapons have been used in more than 4,800 cases since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

West should pressure Russia into peace talks, not Ukraine, Polish FM says. “Both the United States and the European Union must help Ukraine to achieve a better negotiating position for possible future negotiations, which should be encouraged and forced on the aggressor, not the victim.”

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Russia sets goal to fully occupy 4 Ukrainian regions in 2025

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said that Moscow aims to seize the entirety of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts in 2025. Large portions of these regions remain under Ukrainian control, including regional capitals of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

Photo: Aleksey Babushkin / POOL / AFP via Getty Images

As US pushes Kyiv to lower draft age, why won’t Ukraine conscript younger men?

One thing stands out when looking at Ukraine’s Armed Forces — it is made up predominantly of older men. Ukraine has never publicly released information about the age of its troops, but the average age is reportedly around 43 years old. Exact figures on the size of Ukraine’s armed forces are also not publicly known.

Photo: Sean Gallup / Getty Images

Russia’s wars, from Syria to Ukraine | Ukraine This Week

Human cost of war

Russian general charged with chemical weapons crimes reported dead in Moscow explosion. Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of the Russian Armed Forces’ radiation, chemical, and biological defense troops, was reportedly killed in an explosion at a residence in Moscow the morning of Dec. 17. The previous day, Ukraine’s SBU sentenced Kirillov in absentia for the use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine.

North Korean troops suffer casualties in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Pentagon says. North Korean troops have joined combat operations in the Kursk Oblast, marking the first confirmed engagement of North Korean soldiers alongside Russian military, Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder said on Dec. 16.

30 North Korean soldiers in Kursk Oblast assaults, Ukraine’s intelligence claims. North Korean losses have to be replenished by fresh soldiers from North Korea’s 94th Separate Brigade, HUR claimed.

International response

Trump’s team seeks ‘permanent end’ to Russia-Ukraine war, national security advisor nominee says. When asked whether the upcoming Trump administration plans to restrict how Ukraine can use U.S. arms, Mike Waltz said that a “blank check… just isn’t a strategy… This just, kind of, forever war that we seem to be backing into.”

EU will train 75,000 Ukrainian soldiers by early 2025, chief diplomat says. Launched in October 2022, the European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM) has already trained approximately 60,000 Ukrainian troops as of August 2024, primarily in Germany and Poland.

North Korean soldiers ‘legitimate targets’ for Ukrainian military, US official says. U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller warned that if North Korean troops crossed the border into Ukraine to fight for Russia, that would mark a serious “escalation” in the war.

Norway to provide $242 million for Ukrainian naval defense against Russian Black Sea threats. The money will be channeled through the Nansen Support Program, Norway’s civil and military support program for Ukraine.

Estonia urges NATO allies to boost defense spending to counter Russian threat, Reuters reports. “Everybody in NATO and in the EU right now has the feeling in their backbone that you should increase defense expenditure because of what is happening all over the world and with Russia,” Estonia’s Prime Minister Kristen Michal told Reuters.

EU adopts 15th package of sanctions against Russia. The new listings include 54 persons and 30 entities “responsible for actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.”

EU imposes sanctions on Chinese companies, North Korean minister over Ukraine war. The EU imposed fully fledged sanctions on Dec. 16, including asset freezes and visa bans, on Chinese firms for supplying Russia’s military for the war against Ukraine.

In other news

Russian gas transit deal ends on December 31, won’t be renewed, PM Shmyhal says. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Dec. 16 that the deal allowing Russian gas to transit through Ukraine will not be extended beyond the end of the year. His statement comes as several European countries intensify efforts to secure alternative energy supplies.

Assad releases first statement since fleeing to Russia, claims he never considered ’seeking refuge.’ In a post on the official Facebook page of the Syrian presidency, Assad said he was releasing the statement to address “misinformation and narratives far removed from the truth” in the wake of his overthrow.

Assad airlifted $250m in cash from Syria to Russia over two years, FT reports. The FT said Syria’s central bank flew nearly two tonnes of $100 bills and €500 notes into the country, which were then deposited in sanctioned Russian banks.

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